Buddhadharma editor Tynette Deveaux reflects on the past fifteen years of the magazine, and reveals the exciting changes to come.

When the first issue of Buddhadharma went to press fifteen years ago, we had an important and heartfelt goal; to create a journal for committed Buddhists of different traditions who wished to delve deeper into their practice, study the dharma, and engage with the wider mahasangha. As a nonprofit, we didn’t have a lot of resources, we managed with a fulltime staff of two — myself, as editor, and Seth Levinson, the art director — under the direction of Melvin McLeod, the editor-in-chief. We were greatly encouraged by Buddhist teachers, leaders, writers, and book publishers who rallied around the project, generously contributing articles and expertise.

We’ve grown over the years but remain a relatively small editorial team intent on serving our committed Buddhist readership. In recent weeks, looking over past issues of Buddhadharma, I’m struck by both the remarkable teachings that stand the test of time and the important conversations we’ve hosted. I’m also reminded of how much we’ve learned and shared as a Buddhist community; mourning the loss of teachers who’ve died, grappling with abuse of power, celebrating community milestones, addressing white privilege and racism.

In this anniversary issue, we present selections from some of the best articles we’ve published on four key themes; the Buddhist path, practice, enlightenment, and discussions about Buddhism in the West. We hope they will give you further inspiration, courage, and determination to continue on your Buddhist journey.

Looking ahead to the next fifteen years and beyond, we have some exciting plans. Beginning with the Winter issue, we’re changing to a journal format, which will better reflect Buddhadharma’s content and approach — and make it easier to maintain your collection of Buddhadharma issues for years to come. We’re also expanding our page count to give you even more of the content you love. We’ll be adding more advanced teachings and articles to keep pace with you, our knowledgeable readers, and we’ll be including new research and analyses about Western Buddhism to help you better understand the landscape and challenges we face. What won’t change is our mission to support you and your practice and, in so doing, to help the dharma put down deep roots and flourish in the West.

We’re glad to have you here. But first: who are “we”?
You may very well know us as the publishers of two Buddhist magazines, the Shambhala Sun and Buddhadharma. Then again, you may not know us at all. Either way, please allow us to re-introduce ourselves:
We’re the Shambhala Sun Foundation. We [...]